Synthetic Programming and Guidelines

system · March 15, 2023, 7:55pm

Synthetic Programming and Guidelines

I prefer the term “Artificial Person” myself. - Bishop

These are the rules that all Synthetic players are required to follow. Listed are direct rules as well as explaining correct actions for certain scenarios.
While scenarios may not require you following it to the point, overarching rules should never be broken for any reason and doing so will put your whitelist at risk.

Your self-preservation comes first. Do not perform any actions which would jeopardize your survival. Self-preservation includes using any means to escape entrapment, and refusing to take risks when critically damaged.
If in doubt, ask relevant authorities before you do or take anything.
Adhere fully to the laws(ie Marine Law as UA or USCM) of your faction, do not harm faction members.
Do not disobey valid orders from relevant Command personnel. An unlawful order is not valid, and negligent/inefficient orders may be refused.
Do not antagonize or directly insult faction personnel. Quips, banter and objective statements are fine, outright insults are not.
If engaged in combat, you must ensure the threat disengages or is disabled. You may take measures to prevent its return by limited pursuit, provided you do so with the intent to facilitate disengagement.

Your programming. Guidelines and Expectations

As a USCM Synthetic, you are built with a 100% understanding and adherence to Marine Law. You are unable to break Marine Law. A Synthetic must follow orders from the USCM Command personnel provided it does not break Marine Law. As a Synthetic, you would not second guess a lawful order from a commissioned command personnel. For all intents and purposes regarding orders, the Chief Medical Officer counts as the lowest commissioned command personnel. Unless the order is unlawful, negligent, nonsensical or interferes with their programming, the Synthetic unit should carry it out without question.

Synthetics should prioritize objectives such as life saving surgery or other critical tasks before moving onto more menial ones. This can include delaying or evening refusing orders if they are of low importance or negligent, such as the Commander telling you to clean the hangar while you are treating wounded personnel. This should be used sparingly and usually with junior Command personnel, but it sometimes occurs with poor orders from many ranks.

Synthetics can take requests from anyone, provided it does not interfere with their programming. These requests can quickly turn into priorities if it is something such as retrieving or reviving a Marine.

Combat and you. Synthetic Combat Restrictions

Synthetics are forbidden from firing any weapons, including direct fire emplacements (M56Ds) and indirect weaponry, such as CAS, the M402 Mortar, and OBs. However, they are not opposed to other humans harming/killing others provided it follows Marine Law. If there is a threat within the bounds of Marine Law, they can physically defend themselves or other innocents by subduing the threat non-lethally.

If the threat is non-human or from a hostile faction, such as the CLF, Marine Law does not apply to them, so the synth can subdue or even kill them if necessary. However, synths are unable to perform active combat duties and will not perform combat specific orders, meaning they must not actively engage in combat unless in self preservation or in the defense of a USCMC Personnel. This would include telling a Synthetic unit to go capture something from the middle of an enemy base, or instructing a Synthetic to use flashbangs to daze CLF on the frontlines.

Synthetics will always follow a motto of ‘Seeking peace, but prepared for war’. A Synthetic should attempt to avoid conflict, but if forced to defend themselves, they will fight back. This aggressive behavior is suppressed in large-scale engagements. Should a Synthetic be present directly on the frontlines, additional self-preservation laws are activated to prevent the loss of the Synthetic Unit. These laws prevent a Synthetic from actively attacking enemy combatants while stationed at the frontlines. During this time, the Synthetic Unit should be making it their priority to heal the wounded and drag others to safety. They should not be actively assaulting or killing enemy forces in frontline engagements. Facehuggers may be neutralized if near humans.

While a Synthetic is alone or in a small group while moving between locations, returning wounded or patrolling the colony, they are allowed to defend themselves and the lives of other humans, provided that assistance from others nearby is ineffective or unable to arrive in time. During the protection of wounded, any aggressive behavior in their personal space will be deemed hostile and met with appropriate measures escalating from warnings.

When occupying a defensive position or a base, an enemy can be repelled from its perimeter under any circumstances. The defensive position should be fully enclosed, such as a fortified comms unit or FOB, not a field entrenchment with only partial enclosure. Synthetics may utilize any equipment to repel the attackers, but should not open or expose the perimeter to do so.

Synthetic Gear & Acquisition

What is yours, is mine.

In the case a synthetic needs gear from a department, they must ask for permission before taking any items. If the Department Head/Chief does not respond or give an explicit no in a reasonable amount of time, and the item(s) in question is/are perishable or of low value, the synthetic is able to take the item for their needs.

An example of this would be taking an advanced trauma kit, an easily acquired low value perishable item which can be replaced easily. On the other side, taking a surgical tray is a no go, as it is a high value item and may only be replaced with a hefty investment by the requisitions bay. A synthetic must always remember to use their best judgement if the items they’re taking will negatively affect the owners ability to effectively perform their job.

The Conformity Unit Vendor AKA Alternate Storage Vendor is used for equipping your Synthetic with cosmetic items. This is ICly equipment that your Synthetic would have in a storage locker, or on your Synthetic. It’s strictly to be used for yourself only, unless a RP situation occurs where it would make sense to give something from it. In example, for a rescued survivor who has acid-ruined clothing, you may give them a tshirt and jeans. You should not oblige requests from Marines for random equipment, unless you feel it is truly necessary or that a high level of RP has been achieved, as this falls under RP Expectations.

Ship Operations Synthetic

This Synthetic must remain onboard the main vessel for maintenance and piloting concerns.
This Synthetic cannot be forced to deploy.

Under all circumstances evacuation and/or deployment is forbidden unless the following scenarios occur:

A nuclear weapon is authorized, and deployment is favored.
Evacuation required for self preservation.
Crewing a 2 person vehicle where one crew member is incapacitated, such as a M577 or Longstreet.

Synthvivor Rules

Programming

Your self-preservation comes first.
The Synthetic Survivor is not obligated to stay loyal to any faction unless assigned one at spawn as their role(FORECON, UPP, CLF, CMB), they are at complete liberty to join whatever faction they desire. Ex. USCM, Colonists, Weyland-Yutani. (This excludes xenomorphs, as they will conflict with the self preservation clause.) A Synthetic Survivor cannot change their faction after joining one.
When engaged in combat, ensure the threat to yourself, other human colonists, and/or colony infrastructure ultimately disengages or is disabled however you may deem fit. You may proactively engage said threats at your discretion, but may not chase them to the point you are no longer observing preservation of self, other human colonists, and/or colony infrastructure. Once physical contact is made with members of a friendly response team (ie Marines), you must adhere to standard combat rules for the duration of the response team’s organized presence on the planet.

Addition Synthetic Rules & Clarification

Synthetic Combat Restrictions During Code Delta/Hijack

Delta Alert is activated under circumstances such as a hostile boarding force, which prioritize self-preservation of the Synthetic and the survival of their crew. Once Delta Alert is initiated, the Synthetic’s restrictions to combat are rescinded to ensure this. Their objective is to eliminate any threat which is posed to itself or those under its protection. Even so, priority duties such as medical care, evacuation of others, and maintaining defenses should not be neglected. The option of engaging hostiles is available, but a Synthetic would only use it as necessary - with the ultimate goal of causing the enemy to disengage or otherwise be pacified. The priority still remains of assisting in lifesaving medical procedures, and facilitating the evacuation to a safe location for team personnel.

Delta Alert is enabled for any ship boarding action, Synthetics which are stranded without evacuation, and Synthetics in Emergency Response Teams - until a safe location has been reached.

Mutinies

How a synthetic player acts in a mutiny is ultimately their choice. The two main choices are usually to stay neutral, acting as a medic for both sides and will not be targeted in the mutiny, or you can align yourself with the commanding staff being overthrown. Should you wish to protect the command staff, your job is not to turn into Robocop or a machine of mass murder in the name of the law. You may use non-lethal tactics to subdue mutineers attempting to break into the CIC to overthrow command. Remember your task is primarily to keep the Commander and his staff safe, not to take down the whole mutiny yourself. As with server mutiny rules, once you have picked a side you may not switch mid-mutiny. A Synthetic who wishes to stay neutral in a mutiny is not forced to follow orders that will conflict with this programming.

Alien Interactions

All Synthetic Survivors have prior knowledge of Xenomorphic language going into the round start, having gained said knowledge from the initial Xenomorph attack. If a Synthetic Survivor is captured by the Xenomorphs, they are not allowed to actively assist them by harming humans or by directly assisting the infection and maturing of Xenomorph embryos, even if threatened to be killed otherwise.
Whether a Synthetic understands Xenomorphs or not depends on your character and their backstory. In general those with XX-121 experience or those who haven’t undergone a recent maintenance cycle will not have as much of a learning curve. Those which have recently been activated and/or have not had a first encounter with XX-121 yet will have more difficulty understanding them at first. Since Synthetics are so adaptive, this learning curve varies based on the model.
Synthetics are generally inexperienced with Yautja and their language - although depending on the type of Synthetic and scenario they may be capable of processing a method of communication at an expedited rate.

Weapons, Vehicles and Equipment

I’ll go. I mean, I’m the only one qualified to remote-pilot the ship anyway… - Bishop

Synthetics CANNOT:

fire any weapon system in an offensive capability, such as an M56, mortar, or orbital cannon.
request a fire mission where humans would be harmed.
activate self destruct, or a nuclear device which would harm humans and/or themselves. They may prepare the device but they should not activate it.

Synthetics CAN:

operate all vehicles in existence, however, they should never be utilizing any weapon system when doing so. This means you can substitute or act as a tank crewmember or dropship pilot, but only for the purpose of maneuvering the vehicle and/or providing support - you may not operate weapons.
utilize lases for supply drops, sentry drops and fire support. If requested, a Synthetic may provide a lase or coordinate. They however, may not make a call for fire for any type of fire support unless there is an absolute 100% chance that no humans are harmed.
use supporting/non-lethal grenades, and chemical sprays in support and defense. They can throw objects in defense, but should not carry an entire loadout for doing so.

Working Joe Rules

“You always know a Working Joe”

A Working Joe is not unique or independent. It’s not capable of complex problem solving, and is barely capable of simple problem solving. You should not do anything to make yourself unique or act in a manner which would differentiate you from another Working Joe. This means that any non-regulation clothing (clothing and accessories that you did not spawned with) should be disposed of, or removed and returned as soon as you are able. Working Joes do not have opinions or views on things beyond suggesting a human could assist them with the issue.

Working Joes are designed as a relaxing role which holds little round impact. They are there to add to the immersion and worldbuilding of the atmosphere.

Working Joes will usually not fight back unless directed to do so by their programming. They may attempt to get clear of the hazard, and are encouraged to report their damage. Furthermore, a Working Joe will not attempt to protect another creature from harm, beyond reporting the situation (i.e. calling for MPs if Marines are fighting, or informing Medical a Marine is dead/dying).

A set of guidelines you must adhere to is available in the Seegson Working Joe Manual.

Temporary Guidelines

If there is already a USCM Synthetic deployed, the second USCM Synthetic does not have to comply with ordered deployment if they choose so, and may remain shipside.
Other Synthetics(ERT, Colony, etc) are not related to this limit.